Our young family of 5 growing together as we craft, DIY, eat and play our way through each day.

Tag Archives: Legos

I love exchanging “favorite things” with my girlfriends, and I love the idea of passing those things along here on the blog. I’ve tried all of these products personally, and my recommendations are not sponsored by any of the brands represented.

Here are just a few items I’ve been loving lately – I hope you find some new favorites!

Wet Brush I love this brush for my own hair, but the reason I bought a second one when I realized it was the ONE way I could brush my daughter’s hair without tears. I even got the travel size! I wash and condition her hair in the bathtub in the evening, and then brush through it with this while it’s still wet. The next morning her hair is still mostly tangle-free, and I’m able to brush through it again. If she has any bad tangles when it’s try, I’ll actually wet the brush or the area of hair to get the tangle out.

PopSugar Must Have BoxI just love opening presents, and with this service it’s like getting the most amazing box of gifts from my BFF who knows me SO well each month. Seriously, this is a little luxury subscription that has introduced me to so many fabulous things in the past. I’ve shared this with so many friends who have subscribed and feel the same way! When you sign up here, you can use one of the following referral codes to get $10 off! ABX17YZ or B213YMZ. (PS The new

Here’s a look at one of the recent boxes I loved, valued at more than $100.

Gap 1969 Denim Sateen Jogger These are the most comfortable pants I own. I think I’ve been complimented on them every time I’ve worn them (and hurry, they’re on sale now!).

2015 Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar Kit This one might seem a little random, but I love these Advent Calendars because they not only work great as a gift, but they also work great for inexpensive Star Wars party favors (check them out here, along with more Star Wars favor ideas!) that are a HUGE hit each year. That’s just $1.66 for each favor that your party guests will actually use! Hurry though – these always sell out way before December!

Roomba 880 Okay, so I definitely consider this a luxury item, but now that we live in a home with dark wood floors and three messy children, I don’t want to know a life without this little machine. We set it to run automatically overnight while we’re sleeping, and in the morning, our floors look great! That’s no small feat in our home, so we feel it’s been worth the price.

Photo Triggers As a photography hobbiest, I’ve started realizing how few images I have with me in the shot. I want to remember myself as part of the family memories in this stage of life, so I’ve tried to get in the photo more. That means triggers. I have two:

HISY Trigger – This trigger works with your iPhone for on-the-go photos anywhere. It’s small, so tuck it in your purse or in your car so you have it when you need it.

Canon Wireless Remote – I use this with my Canon DLSR camera, but you can use this remote for your Nikon DSLR. I have an older model of this remote that I’ve used for years, and am just starting to get use out of.

So now, I’m getting more images like this. How else would I capture painting my baby’s piggies for the first time?

Expo Disc Speaking of photography, this thing has changed my photos for the better, and I wish I hadn’t waited so long to get it. I used to struggle with getting a good custom white balance I could trust, which lead to more time consuming post processing. With this, all I do is get my settings, place the Expo Disc over my lens and take a photo of the light source, then, remove the Disc, set my custom white balance as usual, and go! This company has lots of great video tutorials on the product to make it even easier. I highly recommend it!

Command Picture Hanging Strips Since moving to our new home, these babies have been a life saver. My husband hates hanging photos and leveling them. I “have trouble visualizing” which leads to more picture hanging…and holes in the wall. That’s not good for a marriage, folks. So, I buy these in the large packs and hang photos at my every whim. The best part is that If I don’t get it quite right, I just lift it off the wall and reposition it, as long as it still fits on the strip on the wall. If not, I just take them off the wall and start over again. Easy breezy. I’ve never had any trouble with these, but I use the strips that hold up to 16 lbs., just in case.

Growing up, we didn’t really “do” favor bags. I suppose that’s why I’m really into them when planning parties for my kids. Presents for everyone, just for attending?! I wish grown-up parties would adopt this practice!

I wanted to do something fun, with at least a few items that would get used beyond the ride home from the party. But, of course, I didn’t want to spend a lot of money.

I created these goodie bags for around $3 each, total.

To create the actual bag, I used inexpensive white paper bags from the grocery store. I searched for the keywords “storm trooper silhouette” and found an image I like. I downloaded this free Star Jedi font and added the words “You’re a trooper” to the 5.5″x10.5″ template I created in PhotoShop.

I printed the image directly on the bags. To do this, you need to go into your printer settings and create a custom paper size and paper texture. I used a small piece of painter tape to secure the base flap to the bag so it wouldn’t jam in the printer. It took some trial and error before I felt like they were printing a clean image, without a lot of extra printer ink. I was going for inexpensive though, so despite a few rough printouts, these captured the look I was going for.

Here are the bag contents:

Star Wars Lego spaceship kit

Glow stick “lightsaber”

Star Wars Angry Birds Marker/Stamp

Angry Birds fruit snacks

Star Wars tattoo

“Lightsaber” bubble wand

Knowing all the boys are really into legos at this age, I really wanted to include some. I explored a lot of avenues, but almost everything was going to be a budget buster. I’ve heard of some creative moms creating their own little sets using the Pick a Brick section at the Lego store, but at $14.99/bucket, it was going to be a little more than I wanted to pay, and I wasn’t even sure if I could really build a believable spaceship.

I found my solution on ebay: there are tons of people looking to unload Star Wars Advent Calendar lots of kits. I was able to score a lot of 11 for $1/each including shipping. Even better, each little kit came with building instructions – far better than what I would have been able to do myself using Pick a Brick. For those of you who have messaged me about being unable to find these deals on ebay, you can still find them here and here for less than $2 per favor!

I created my own hangtag using the same Star Wars font with a message from Yoda, “Do or do not, there is no try” along with a thank you message.

In addition to the goodie bags, we had a Jedi Training academy. We gave each little guest a Jedi vest made with an unused bed sheet we didn’t need and clothesline rope from Walmart that I picked up for $2.98.

We also created the pool noodle lightsabers that are all the rage on Pinterest. We cut pool noodles in two using a serrated bread knife and decorated the ends with black and silver duct tape. Each little guest was given one to defeat some balloon storm troopers and then take home.These were the biggest hit of the party (literally, there was one bloody nose incident!).

I had a lot of fun creating a fun party all the kids would enjoy. If you would like me to provide printables for the bag or hangtag, please feel free to leave me a comment to let me know!

UPDATE: Due to so many requests, I’m making the Storm Trooper Party Favor Bags available as a free printable here. Are you planning to use them for your upcoming party? Please take a moment to tell me about it, below!

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From time to time, I will link readers to products I've enjoyed and used myself. In exchange for purchases made, I may receive a small percent of the total purchase. Your support helps me continue offering the tips and free printables you love. Thank you for your support!